


Epiphany

by parantica



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, POV First Person, Slow Burn, wrote this when i was twelve don't rag on me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 11:58:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 18,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20853065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parantica/pseuds/parantica
Summary: Eren Yeager can't grasp the concept of 'stranger danger'. Especially when the stranger is hot and asks him to get some groceries.





	1. Trauma

Getting assigned at the research desk with the sunny window sounds alright at first, but then quickly becomes agonizing when sunlight blinds you every time you turn your head even a little.

The air conditioning in the station is busted as fuck, and opening the windows doesn't help a goddamn bit. Beads of sweat are dripping down my forehead now. How professional.

I stare at my watch, desperately waiting for my shift to be over. Ten minutes before I switch out. Sixty seconds ten times. Thirty seconds twenty times. Is that even how time works? Fuck if I know.

"Office jobs just aren't for you, huh?" a jovial voice calls out, and I turn my head to reply. Armin Arlert, my colleague and childhood friend, sits in his desk, typing away on his computer while glancing at me with the corner of his eye.

"We don't even get paid, man. Why're you working so hard?" I grumble, leaning back in my office chair.

"So I can actually _get_ paid. You worked hard to get this internship too, y'know." Armin retorts, brushing his long curtain of blonde hair out of his face.

"Only cos' my old man made me, and you know it. I wanna get out there in the field shooting guns and shit, where all the action's at," I say, sighing.

"The police isn't just about guns, are you kidding me? You should've gone for the training to become a uniformed officer then, if you hate being an intern so much. How many times do we _have_ this conversation?" Armin's tone is interrogative, but I just focus on how hard he's hitting the spacebar. Sucker got the shitty keyboard.

"Damn! I wish," I say groaning, taking my staff lanyard off my neck and shoving it in my pocket, already getting ready to head home. "but my dad wouldn't pay for my rent otherwise, and no way in hell am I living with _him_."

"The heat is really getting to you, huh." Armin comments, giving me an unconvincing look. "Whatever, let's just start packing up. No one's coming to the tiny police station out of town anyway," he says.

"By the way," Armin remarks, "Isn't it your mom's birthday? Tell her I said 'hi'." He stands up from his chair and stretches his arms, and I laugh at the pit stains on his bright blue shirt. Can't wait to feel the sweet breeze of air conditioning.

I get the station door keys and start locking all the windows, panting at the unbearable heat. The countryside is absolutely brutal during the summer. I pull out my smartphone and start texting Mikasa, my sister, simultaneously about the birthday plans. We both agreed that we'd meet up at our favourite restaurant at six, eat some cake, get shit-faced, then call a cab and dip.

I clock out of the station and wave goodbye to Armin, hopping in my car then driving off to Mikasa's place. She enters through the passenger door, with her usual attire on. Red scarf (even though it's hot out and I call her insane for wearing it), white blouse and black boots. Her go-to outfit for literally any occasion.

As we head to the restaurant, mom is already there at one of the tables for four, smiling at us. I congratulate her and give her a tight hug, and so does Mikasa. I notice the faint wrinkles around her eyes as I let go, as well as the strands of her hair getting noticeably grey. I can't bear to think about _anything_ bad happening to my own mom. It's a tough lie to keep up with, but the inference that she's immortal is a much safer state to be in.

"Dad coming?" I ask, plopping myself down into the chair.

"He said he'd be here," my mom replies, looking around for my well-missing father. He's known to be a flaker. Has been for what, the past five years? At this point I'm starting to get a little irritated. Just a little.

"Well, it can be just the three of us again, like the past couple years! We always have so much fun without him," I say mockingly, rolling my eyes.

"Eren, stop," Mikasa responds, putting her pale hand on my wrist. A sudden rage builds up in me, waiting to explode at any moment. I can feel my lip slightly quiver, waiting for awful shit to say about my father. Where does he go? Where has he been? I'm always hearing that damn excuse about his research. No calls, no emails, no news, nothing. Just the monthly notification for the deposit of $2000 in my bank from him. Guess that's the only fucking way I know he's alive.

"It would be great if he would just show up for once," I let out, my brows beginning to furrow with unease. "I mean, guess he just doesn't care, huh?"

"Stop it! That's your father you're talking about," my mom retorts, her voice on edge. I can tell she's disappointed about it too. Good. She should be.

"My father doesn't want me to pursue the things I want to do! My father doesn't show up for my graduation ceremony! He doesn't even send a gift for his wedding anniversary!" My voice gradually becomes louder with every sentence I speak, and I can feel everyone's eyes in the restaurant on me, wondering _what_ is going on.

"You need to stop, this is _not _about you," Mikasa urges, slowly rising from her seat.

"You're such a hothead!" my mother blurts. "_Just_ like your father! Why can't you let me enjoy this day for once? You're always bringing this up. We get it. _I _get it_. _Just stop. Smarten up. Everything happens for _a reason_."

The restaurant is suddenly dead quiet, and my mom is standing up from her seat.

"Can we just salvage this moment? Please?" she asks, taking one last sip of the ice water in front of her. We all sit back down, and the restaurant begins to fill with sound again. This isn't the first time we've caused a scene in public places.

"Any more of _that _and I would've lost my appetite," my mom jokes, waving her finger to my mouth, and I groan. "So, let's order something."

The food at the restaurant is always great. Plating and decor is campy, and the lighting could be a little less ambient, but it's what gives the place its charm. Small town businesses are always the best. Mikasa and I order a couple of drinks and I offer my mom a beer on me, but she refuses.

"I'm a lightweight, remember?" she chuckles, eyeing the glass.

"Weren't you a bartender when you were younger?" I ask, taking a sip of my drink. Mikasa's about four glasses in and still sitting upright. A goddamn trooper.

"That doesn't mean drinking's a part of the job," my mom replies. "Ah, whatever," she takes one of the glasses and takes a large sip. "I deserve this," she laughs. All three of us cheer and clap, living in the moment.

As we cut the cake, awfully sing happy birthday and order more food, we suddenly notice the sky is just about pitch black. I begrudgingly pay the whopping bill of $72 and we head out of the restaurant, looking up at the stars in the sky. They're glowing, even brighter than the street lamps and illuminating our faces. Country stars beat city lights by a landslide.

"Ma, where's your car?" I slur, trying to remember how many drinks I had that made me so shit-faced. Mission complete.

"God, your face and ears are so red. Just like whenever you lied when you were a little boy," she laughs, avoiding the question, and bringing me closer to her. I can see Mikasa smile, and still, she's not affected by the alcohol in the slightest. "Let's take your car," she suggests, "it's cold out."

"Didn't you drink?" says Mikasa. "It's not safe."

"I'm fine, see?" my mom imitates the sobriety test, walking in a straight line and touching her fingers to her nose. "Let's save some money for once. A cab'll charge us at least $20 during this time of night. Know how much milk you can get with $20? Probably a lot."

"No," Mikasa objects, "we'll get into an accident," she steps up, but my mom takes the car keys from my hand and starts the engine.

"Let's go, kids." she says. Mikasa hesitates before entering the passenger seat, but clicks on her seatbelt like usual. We pull out and my mom's already on the countryside highway. Everything seems to be fine, since there's no one on the road. The AC kicks in, and I relish in the cold breeze. I slump in the backseat, looking out the window. Don't know if it's the alcohol that's making me nostalgic, but I can't help but smile goofily as I look at the stars.

"Good day, huh, Eren?" Mom smiles sweetly and looks at me through the mirror. I weakly smile back, my eyes drooping a little. I can't help but think of my absent father during these times. For some reason, every time he comes up in a conversation I can't help but scream. I can feel the faint anger rising up in me, even though I've got no reason to be mad at him whatsoever.

The car's silent, and some idiot voice in my head compels me to start talking about the elephant in the room.

"Wish dad was here," I sigh, and I can already sense Mikasa face-palming. She must be sick and tired of this conversation. So much for the nostalgic mood.

"Really, again? And just as I thought everything was going smoothly," my mom turns her head around the driver's seat to look at me, and I can see her eyebrows furrowing amidst the darkness. "He tries his best, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

I can't help but start yelling. "He should try harder then! I don't even feel like I have a father anymore!" I shout, leaning forward as my seatbelt tugs on my torso.

My mom starts turning her head again to respond, but suddenly a bright, piercing light blinds my eyes. Without warning, our bodies jerk backwards and my stomach drops. The airbag of the car bursts out and jolts us to the side, blood rushing to my head simultaneously. The last thing I see is the same bright lights in front of me, shining in my eyes before I fall into darkness.


	2. Heartbreak

A sound of repetitive, mechanical beeping enters my ears, and I slowly open my eyes, an artificial light filling my gaze.

My body is stiff, and the air is mysteriously cold.

I jolt upwards, inhaling and exhaling in shock, noticing IV cords restricting my movement as I try to sit upwards. Holy shit. What fucking happened? The mechanical beeping speeds up, and my heart is pounding in my chest.

A woman in what appears to be blue scrubs immediately enters the room, placing me to lie down, gesturing me to steady my breathing. I try to speak, but my throat is dry, and I can barely croak a word. A doctor follows after the woman, with papers in his hands. I turn my neck, and I can see no one but Mikasa, sitting next to me in a hospital gown.

"Mi-" I barely manage, but Mikasa's pale hand immediately shushes me. The doctor in front of me gives me a sympathetic look, giving a nod to the nurse beside him.

My head throbs, and I audibly wince. I can feel memories flowing back into my brain, the lights- the bright lights blinding my eyes before...

The nurse immediately rushes to my side, telling me to breathe. The doctor remains calm, and so does Mikasa. I manage to lift my arm and stroke my hand across the hospital blanket, regaining my sense of touch. What the hell happened to me?

"Eren Yeager?" the doctor asks, his voice mellow. "Do you remember anything before you got here?"

I try hard to remember, but the bright lights are the only thing crossing my mind. "It... it was my mom's birthday," I croak hoarsely, "and we were heading home..." I exhale deeply, my eyes flickering everywhere around the hospital room.

"There were lights, and I... I..." I can barely remember what happened next. The doctor pauses me before I can continue.

"Let's see," the doctor begins, "You were in a car accident on April 19th, at 12 in the morning. You've been unconscious for two days. There was a collision with a semi-truck on the highway heading to the city, and there was one casualty, which was your mother, Carla Yeager."

My eyes widen at the news. Carla Yeager? Mom? No. No way. No fucking way. My jaw suddenly drops, and tears begin welling in my eyes, the beeping of the machine sounding rapidly. The beat of my heart drums in my ears, and my vision begins to get hazy. I can feel Mikasa's hand gripping mine, but it can't seem to help. I can see the pain in her face, her lip quivering as she listens to the doctor.

"Fuck," I breathe shakily. It's like she was just with me a second ago. This could not be happening. She couldn't leave. Not like that. She can't just die on me like that. I try to speak, but words can't escape my mouth. I just stare at the wall in front of me, back at the doctor, back at the nurse, back to Mikasa, waiting for the epiphany that this was some sort of sick fucking prank. This could not be the reality.

"Let him process things," the nurse whispers to the doctor, her head hanging low with shame. She's probably experienced this millions of times. The nurse nods at Mikasa, sighing. She and the doctor both leave the room, leaving me and my sister together.

I can feel tears streaming down my face, and my nose is clogged. The only thing that comes across my mind during this time is my father. My fucking father. Where the hell is he? I try to scan the room, but still, no one. His wife, dead. His children, in the hospital. I'm in disbelief at the heartlessness.

I stare at Mikasa blankly, sniffling. She grips my hand tighter, and clenches her teeth.

"He didn't even answer his emergency cell," she whispers. Of course he fucking didn't. The bastard is always too busy with work to give a damn about his own family. I wish I didn't care about him. I wish the last thing I did with my own mother was fight with her. If I had just shut up everything would have been fine. Fuck. I can barely control my tears at this point. Mikasa's trying too hard to hold them back, I look up at her, indicating it's okay, and her eyes also begin to well up. I hold her tight, muffling the sound of my cries on her shoulder.


	3. Encounter

Three weeks pass after rehabilitation, and I get discharged from the hospital shortly after. I felt like livestock in that grimy place. The pristine walls and uniforms just gave me the creeps.

And still no call from Dad.

Mikasa and I had discussed the arrangements for the funeral. It was to be held this following month, once the rest of the family comes around for Easter. Just when the flowers really start to bloom. Mom would absolutely love to see them.

As I change back into my clothes and walk outside the hospital entrance, I stand to the side of the road and call a cab. I don't feel like driving anymore. I'm not fit for it either.

A vehicle eventually comes by and halts at the curb. I hop inside, readying my wallet.

"Where to?" the driver asks.

"Shiganshina Avenue, please." I reply, clutching the hospital documents and insurance folders in my arm.

The car heads to my apartment, and I open the window a tad, watching the bright green trees flashing by as I ride. I tilt my head towards the window and stare at the birds flying through the sky, living free.

As I get to my place and hand the driver the fare, I rustle through my pocket to find the key to my apartment, as well as the receipt from the restaurant. The night of the accident.

I try hard to ignore it and place it in the bin as I get inside, accidentally stepping on all the letters I received during my time in the hospital. I see a distinct envelope on the dusty, wooden flooring, and I already know who it's from.

Armin.

I crouch down and pick the letter up, quickly opening it. The kid's so peculiar. All this and he could really just send a text. I unfold the contents and begin reading.

_Hey Eren, I know. I've got a cellphone and all, but this matte paper was just calling my name. Chief _ _Shadis_ _ is giving you an extra week to recover. Generous, hey? Mikasa and I came by a while ago and cooked some cheeseburgers. They're in the fridge, since we know you don't feel like cooking._

_Get well soon._

_Armin_

I quickly scramble over to my fridge to find three tinfoil-wrapped cheeseburgers with a sticky note labelled 'For Eren' on top of one. I hurriedly unwrap one, tossing it into the microwave, suddenly realizing how damn hungry I am. I look around my apartment and realize how messy it is. There's clothes, papers, wrappers and water bottles everywhere, and I realize it's about time for me to clean up.

I head on over to the living room, noticing photos of my family and my friends encased in frames on a drawer, quietly sitting in a disheveled row. I notice my mom's warm smile in one of the photos, it was graduation day for Mikasa and I, and god I look like a dork. Their arms are wrapped around mine, their faces expressing absolutely no worries at all. I can feel tears pricking my eyes again, and I cup my hands over my face while I try not to remind myself of what happened.

I take off my jacket and throw it on the couch, reforming my bad habits. Speeding over the washroom, I wash my face, lathering my eyes and cheeks with cold water. I stare at my drenched face in the mirror, panting heavily as I do so.

Closing the bathroom door, I march out and take the heated cheeseburger form the microwave, stuffing it into my mouth ravenously. I make my way over to the living room couch, stealthily avoiding the clutter of dirty laundry and threw myself onto the seat while digging around the find the television remote.

While I finished my oily burger and wiped my hands, I noticed the greasy remote control on the coffee table in front of my legs. I activate the television set and laid back into the couch, sinking in it like quicksand. Some god-awful show about teenage affairs is on, and I don't even bother switching to the news. I switch off the TV, groaning silently and realize there's nothing good on at this hour anyways. I whip around to the window and draw the curtains, the bright sun beaming through the panes.

_Exercise, I need exercise_, I thought. It's the only good thing that helps me forget about shit. I trot outside my apartment door and throw on a fresh sweater in the process, slipping my phone into my pocket. I close the door and trudge along the street, completely oblivious to my surroundings. The fluorescent green trees flow in the calm breeze, and I inhale with delight.

I make it further down the road and turn the corner of the street, when suddenly a short figure catches my eye before I resume to walk. I peek my head over a lamppost and notice two men in the middle of a heated argument. One was on the concrete, bleeding, and the other, short and imposing, was carrying a baseball bat standing fiercely, spitting curse words at the weaker man. I recognize the guy on the floor. He was known for shoplifting from the local convenience store. Sure he deserved karma, but not like this.

Oh boy. I need to do something.

"Hey!" I shout, and I catch the attention of the two men.

The injured man quickly gets up and stares me in the eye with fear, dashing off with a limp.

The short figure glares at me, tossing the baseball bat aside. He rages towards me, forming his hands into fists as he walks.

"Shit," I mutter, trying to walk away, scrambling for my phone to call the police.

"That man was trying to take my wallet. And I was just about to finish teaching him a lesson before you interrupted my class," the stranger scowled menacingly.

I quickly scanned the angry man's short figure from head to toe, and his face seemed familiar for some reason. Maybe he was on the news.

"You know that guy?" I blurt out, managing a distance between us.

The male looks at me in confusion, getting ready to beat my ass. I furrow my brows in frustration as I tried to remember the name of this familiar face, or where I had seen this man. I remember Armin and some other dudes talking about this guy, but who was he again?

"Listen, kid. You're wasting my time. I need to go after that chap who ran off, or else he'll teach the wrong things to his other friends," the man growls before he ambles away, giving me one last glare.

"You're not from around here," I comment. Fuck. Why am I still talking? That guy's seriously gonna pick up that bat and bash my brains in. "I knew that kid. You didn't have to hit him that hard."

The shorter man stares daggers at me before opening his mouth to speak. "I just did you a favor by getting rid of the scum in your town. The police don't do shit about folks like him, but I do. So now you owe me." He gives me one last glance before he turns his heel and goes on his way. I don't realize that my heart is pounding hard and ringing in my ears. Even I don't think I'd be able to take _him_ on in a fight. I gulp, stumbling backwards while thinking of his last words. I pray I don't run into _that_ hardass again.

I guess I'm in debt now?


	4. Deal

My head begins to throb as I hear a familiar and deafening mechanical beeping again. Fuck, please don't let me be in the hospital again. My eyes slowly open, and I just realize it's the sound of my alarm clock. Another seemingly normal week finally passes and I'm back working in the office again. The past couple days I've just been scared shitless of that thug I ran into on the street. Embarrassingly, I've made sure to head to the gym more often so I could at least have a chance of defending myself if I ever ran into that shorty again.

I do my sloppy morning routine as usual and head to work, only to find Armin there early. Typical.

"The news says that there's more gang activity in this district nowadays," Armin brings up, "pretty scary, huh?" he remarks.

My heart skips a beat at the fact. I feel obligated to tell him about the encounter last week. I should've called the cops. Stupid. Stupid.

"I haven't seen anything like that," I say cautiously, "how do they know?" I ask, shuffling some stray files. I shove them into a drawer and sigh, already bored of this shit.

"Some really famous gang just broke up and now they're like, spreading out around these areas. I guess they're trying to lay low for now," Armin says, typing away on his keyboard.

I turn on my computer and search for the news, wondering if that was the backstory of the man I met on the street. It's strange. I can't stop thinking about him. I knew that kid that he beat up was part of a gang, I think. Was that a thing? Gangs beating up other gangs? Hell if I know. I just wanna make sure I know what I'm dealing with so I don't get my ass kicked into the next era.

"Oh, jeez!" Armin exclaims, his eyes widening with surprise. "I just got sent an email about that Ackerman thug!"

"From who? From who?!" I squawk, rising from my chair.

"Franz," he replies, "Dude, that Ackerman gang was just near here and the Stohess District! It says if we see anything suspicious to report it immediately."

I gulp at the remark. I really should have reported what I saw. I brush the thoughts away and focus back onto Armin. Should I trust and tell him? I mean, we're best friends, share the same dream and everything. I've really got to get this off my back.

"Look at these pictures." says Armin. He tilts his computer monitor towards my direction and clicks open a couple of files. "Have you seen any of these guys?"

A photo of the exact same man I met on the street shows up. He's covered in bruises all over, with an intimidating expression. The file's titled 'Levi Ackerman', and I swallow hard again. That guy could really beat the pulp out of me, and possibly get away with it. I try to mouth 'no ' but Armin doesn't notice it.

"Also," he brings up, "did you check the schedule? Today's our nightshift day, to check for any reports that come in during the night."

"You kidding?" I moan and tilt my head backwards, disheveling my brunet hair. "Ah, whatever. I didn't have any plans tonight anyway." Just another night of sitting at home in the dark watching whatever's good on the TV. "How much work do we have do for them to keep us in so late?"

"More than you realize," Armin lectures, resuming his work.

"What about Franz?" I ask. "He coming in?"

"Nah," my colleague replies, "he called in sick. He also meant to tell you that he's sorry about the accident."

I position myself into my chair correctly and sit up straight to the news. I can't find it in myself to reply to Franz' apology. There was nothing he could do about it, anyway.

"Well," I add, "More work for us."

-

Surprisingly enough, I was pretty productive. I had hardly checked my watch during the last couple hours. Well, probably because the last hour I wasn't even doing work. After almost fifteen minutes of convincing Armin, we ended up playing dumb karaoke videos and singing along to them, coffee-high.

The lamp posts outside already flickered long ago, and I realize it's time to close the office. I help Armin clean up his unusually untidy desk and pack up my things, ready to head out.

"Good work, buddy!" I cheer, patting Armin hard on the back.

"Yeah, alright, same goes for you. Never seen you type that fast since what, grade school?" Armin retorts.

"Can't believe you remember that shit," I laugh.

We both clock out and sling our bags over our shoulders, and wave goodbye. The glass door clicks shut and the entire area is pitch black except for the headlights of Armin's car. I wave one last goodbye as he backs out of the parking lot. Looking up to the sky, I realize that it's pretty warm for eleven o'clock, and decide to walk back home as per usual.

I'm exhausted and practically dragging my feet on the concrete, ecstatic when I see my apartment around the corner in the distance, birch trees lining up across the sidewalk. I take my set of keys out of my pocket and unlock the door to my suite, suddenly jolting upwards when a cold mass slams onto my shoulder, causing me to drop my keys.

I whip around, holding my arms up only to see an out of breath Levi Ackerman crouching below me for some reason, briskly turning his head every five seconds with panic in his eyes.

"Holy shit!" I yell, loud enough for the other tenants to hear me. "Fuck, please don't kill me!" I pray to god someone's calling 9-1-1 for me.

Levi doesn't answer me and instead covers his face with the railing of the stairs. He quickly glances at me for a bit, then turns around and stands back up.

"Good, I think they're gone," he pants, placing his hand on my shoulder again. I notice it's icy cold, and stamped with fresh bruises on his knuckles.

"Who?!" I whisper-shout, scrambling for my keys on the concrete. "I'm gonna call the fucking police!"

"Didn't I tell you that cops don't do shit?" Levi answers, grabbing my wrist with a tight grip. I panic and drop my keys again, forcibly staring into his eyes. They're silver. Or that's what the lighting tells me. "You owe me, remember?" he threatens, "couple days ago, I wiped out the scum of your town? Yeah, that was me."

"I don't owe you shit!" I practically scream before having a hand shoved onto my face, silencing me. I thrash around violently, wriggling like a worm, trying to escape the convict's grip.

Levi lets go of my wrists, and I manage to calm down whilst staring him down. "I know who you are," I breathe heavily, "I know what people like you do."

"You don't know anything about me," Levi opposes, standing up straight and crossing his arms.

"You're part of that Ackerman gang. You just rob and hurt people you don't like. What makes me different from any of your victims?" I huff.

I try to observe this guy as closely as I can. At first glance he doesn't look like a thug, but his demeanour says otherwise. His black haircut is clean-cut and concise, and his face is bare and clean-shaven. No extremely visible scars on his face, except for his arms and hands.

"Like I said, you don't know anything. Everything on the news is a lie. No wonder junkies like you eat up that bullshit." Levi spits, his stance defensive. "And what makes you different?" he pauses for a bit, then his eyes trail up and down on me. "You owe me."

Fuck, no way. The absolute last thing I want is to get involved with guys like him. I try to shuffle away down the staircase, but he blocks my way. The temptation of knocking on the other resident's doors is great, but I can't afford to get other people involved in some petty deal. For all I know they could get seriously maimed.

"What do you need?" I plead desperately, trying to get out of the situation without a scratch. "Money? I got you covered!"

Levi is silent before he stares me down, balling his hands into fists. Looks like my time has come.

"Groceries," he mutters. "I need groceries."


	5. Quest

Is this guy fucking serious?

"What?" I sputter, my heart beating out of my chest.

"Listen, kid. My situation is not great. I can't walk into a fucking Walmart without getting manhandled by security. I have a list. Real simple. It's a fool's job." Levi sighs.

"You're taking me for a fool then, huh?" I'm offended by his statement, and my lips form into a scowl.

"A real fool doesn't pay what he owes. Just get what's on the list," Levi grabs my hand and places a crumpled slip of paper onto my palm. It reads:

_Milk 2% (1)_   
_Eggs (1)_   
_Bread (2)_   
_Kale_   
_Bananas_   
_Tea (Earl grey)_

I considered giggling a little as I went through the list, thinking about how this fucker drinks tea, but I would prefer to keep my life for the next, say, at least week. I stare at the man in confusion, my brain racing with adrenaline.

"Is this a fucking prank?" I instigate, crumpling up the list again. "Is this the Ackerman take on gang initiation?" Jesus, I am panicking. Sweat is welling in my palms as I speak.

"Kid, what don't you understand? I am fucking starving. I _need_ food. I don't have connections here in this bumfuck town. You're the only idiot that didn't bother calling the cops after seeing my goddamn mug." Levi argues.

"I am _not_ a kid," I say, and reflect carefully on my next words. "How," I mutter, "how did you know I wasn't going to call the cops?" I ask.

"Eh, you kind of look like you have a problem with authority."

"Fuck you."

I'm oddly terrified yet intrigued by this guy. He's out here, in front of my god-forsaken apartment, has the power to pull out my spleen, and yet is in a vulnerable state and is asking me to go grocery shopping for him. One hell of a story. I can't help but feel charmed by him, with the way he carries himself. Maybe I really was wrong about him. The way he trusts me is strange. It feels familiar, in a way, like we've known each other for longer than this.

"So, kid. What's it gonna be?" says Levi.

I ball the receipt and shove it in my coat pocket, glaring at the stranger. I can't believe I'm doing this. What the hell is wrong with me?

"Consider it done," I say firmly, extending a hand. Levi shakes it tightly, and his lips purse into a small smile. He exhales with relief, and so do I.

Levi gives me an assuring look. "Knew you could do it, kiddo," he whispers, "There's an address on the back. Have the groceries to me there before 3 o'clock tomorrow."

I quickly uncrumple the shopping list and flip it around, and I see a scrawl of numbers and some letters. Shocked, I shove it back into my pocket.

"You never said there was going to be a delivery!" I complain.

"Well, how else were you going to get it to me?"

He had a point.

Although I feel frustrated for taking on a thug's offer, I can't help but feel grateful that all of my bones are intact. I hate to think that there was really going to be no way out of this either way.

"And... it's Eren," I manage to say, right before Levi leaves the premises.

"I'd introduce myself too, but you already know me. I guess I'm famous, huh?" He snarks and shrugs as he walks down the staircase.

I watch Levi silently disappear into the darkness, and I rapidly pick up my keys and slam my apartment door behind me.

Fuck.

I cup my hands onto my face and throw my satchel onto the ground, launching myself onto my couch. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

A wave of panic flashes over me. I take out the list and address from my pocket and memorize it as hard as I can. I can't afford to mess this up. What time did he say to get there? Three in the morning? Three in the afternoon? Hell if I know. If I fuck up I'll seriously lose my life, that's for sure.

I can barely sleep for the remainder of the night. My mind only races with Levi's order, and the impending doom that'll happen if I mess up in the slightest. I flip my pillow over to a colder side, hoping that it'll help, but it doesn't, and I nestle my head further into it and squeeze my eyes shut in fear. Knowing what I did, I can't manage to go to work with the pressure of having talked to _the_ Levi Ackerman and having survived. What'll I tell Armin? Should I still call the police?

No, I'm going crazy. The bastard'll grind my bones into powder. I can't do anything. I've never felt so helpless in my life. Why did I say yes? This is too much. Why didn't I just accept my fucking fate?

-

When I try to lift my head up in the morning my head is forcibly drawn back towards my warm pillow. The morning is cold, and I accidentally left my bedroom window open from last night. I turn my head to the left and try to make out the glowing red numbers from my alarm clock, but either way I'm still getting ten more minutes of sleep no matter what time it is. I snuggle into my sheets and curl up into a fetal position, when a strike of realization hits me like a kick in the balls. 

Today's marks the day of grocery day.

I leap out of bed and let my feet get pierced by the icy wooden floor, rushing over to the bathroom. My head is spinning from standing up too fast, but I can't care. I hurriedly run through my morning routine, make a shitty cup of coffee and get dressed in some ordinary clothes. When I finally make up what the time is on my microwave, I realize it's five in the morning, two hours earlier than when I usually get ready. Exhausted, I take this chance and slump onto my bed again, even in my jeans, and let my mind drift asleep. The last thing that crosses my mind before I lose consciousness is Levi's cold gaze in the darkness, depending on me to do what he asks.

-

My eyes slowly open and I shut them again once I'm blinded by a patch of sunlight coming through the bedroom window. I roll around and stretch my arms and legs in satisfaction, smacking my lips in the process. My sheets are on the floor, one of my pillows had made it to my nightstand and my t-shirt is almost on me backwards. It looks like I tried to wrestle someone in my sleep.

I peek over at my alarm clock, and my heart drops to my stomach as I realize what time it is. It's one o'clock, _five_ whole goddamn hours later than the start of my shift. Good Lord am I late. I just pray that Armin is covering for me right now as I dash out of my bedroom to get my stuff.

I hurriedly leave my apartment, sprinting all the way to the station. I'm huffing and puffing by the time I get there, my hands on my knees as I try to control my breathing, and I almost fucking hurl when I see no one other than Keith Shadis, my boss, speaking to Armin through the glass window.

Shit. Was today supposed to be an important day at the station? The bastard Shadis is rarely there except for on some holidays when we order donuts. Although I'm almost ten feet away from the office, I can faintly see Armin trying to make eye contact with me through the window. I notice him, and he gestures that I leave quickly. Shadis turns around in suspicion right when I turn my heel and run off, silently thanking Armin as I dash away.

Before I have any time to think, I immediately make my way over the grocery store. My clothes are already drenched in sweat, but I don't care- as long as I get to the address in time I have nothing to worry about. I uncrumple the list from my pocket again and shuffle my way through the produce aisles, grabbing a basket simultaneously. I make my way down the list, grabbing hopefully the right items and put them in the basket, until I'm down to the last item on the list. '_Tea. Earl __Grey.'_

My idiot ass can't seem to remember where the tea is, so I zig-zag around every aisle looking for a package, earning strange looks from everyone in the small store. I stumble into the spice corner, and notices some boxes of tea bags. I look through them, but can't seem to find the one I'm looking for. Oolong, green, chamomile, barley, but no fucking Earl Grey. Just my luck. I take my chances and just grab all four, scooping them into the basket and heading straight towards the cash register.

My total surprisingly comes to $30, and I check out. I don't even think about getting paid back. The only reimbursement I get is keeping my kidneys. The written address on the paper leads me to small ranch a little further out of town, right next to a stream, lush with cattails and all sorts of weeds. Beside the ranch is a small abandoned church building, run-down and the wood rotting. Checking my watch, I see it's about 1:40, and I'm earlier than ever. I just hope I'm at the right place.

I tread over the long grass and to the ranch, plastic bags in my arms. There's hordes of mosquitoes and bees everywhere, and I can't manage to shoo them away. With a free hand I knock carefully on the door of the ranch and step backwards, waiting for a response. I can't hear anything from inside, so I wait a bit, then knock again. Now I'm starting to think the fucker pranked me.

Knocking again for a third time, then yelling a 'hello', I realize there's no one inside and I've been played for a fool. Just like how Levi probably wanted. As I walk through the grass again towards the road, I can hear rustling in the old church building, several thuds, similar to the sound of footsteps. I crawl over, expecting to see someone there. The door of the building creaks open, and I see no one other than Levi with a broom, sweeping the damn place. He turns towards me and puts his broom away, looking at me with contempt.

"Oh," I sigh with ease, but still grab the bags of produce tightly.

"You're early," Levi remarks, walking closer towards me. I shy away, stepping backwards, but he grabs the bags and pulls me in.

"I have your stuff," I say, lifting the groceries. Levi puts the broom aside and opens the bags on a makeshift table made of rotting wood planks. He observes the contents of the bag carefully, and when he finishes, he gives me a curt and satisfied nod. 

"No Earl Grey?" he asks, sorting out the other miscellaneous boxes of tea. 

"I couldn't find any," I mumble, praying that Levi'll let me off easy. At least I _got _him some tea. 

"I can see that you improvised," says Levi, holding the other boxes of miscellaneous tea in his hands. "Well, here's your cash," Levi hands me a wad of ten dollar bills and I reluctantly take it and cram it into my pocket, my shoulders easing a bit. As I attempt to leave and make my way out of the church building, I hear a distant sound of a truck pulling up near the field.

"Fuck!" Levi hisses, grabbing my wrist and retracting me. He hurriedly shoves me over to a corner and shuts the door of the shack behind him, gesturing me to move aside. He gets onto the floor and pulls a slab of wood from underneath where my feet were and pushes it aside, revealing a hidden tunnel-like entrance. It's dark and damp, and _oh god I don't want to go in there_. 

"Get in," Levi rushes, and before I can think, I jump in without any hesitation. My feet thud as I hit the dirt, and there's a tunnel extending in front of me, leading to lord-knows-where. Levi follows behind me and tries to cover the hole with the plank of wood, extending his arms to all of his potential. He groans in struggle and stands up on his toes, and admits defeat before looking to me. I can barely see his face, but I follow the light and grab the board above with ease and slide it over the entrance, the light dissolving. 

Levi guides me a bit further from the entrance which we came in, and suddenly freezes.

The door to the church building slams open, and I can hear multiple heavy footsteps trudging on the old wood. 

"Where is that goddamn Nanny McPhee wannabe," a muffled and gravelly voice says from above, their tone menacing. Another high-pitched and nasally voice snickers at the remark, and is immediately told to shut up. Oh god. I knew it. I knew there'd be a catch to this. There's no such thing as a simple grocery errand for an infamous thug. I can't believe I brought myself into this situation. Just a couple minutes ago I was standing in a sunny field carrying some fucking groceries and now I'm crouching in the dark in a tunnel to another dimension. Damn this dichotomy. 

The footsteps gradually creep above our heads, and I stop breathing. 

"Did you check those bags over there?" The gravelly voice points out. I figure it's the leader of the group. I stare at Levi, who's only listening intently to their conversation. I wonder how he even got into this mess. He kind of looks like a good guy.

"No," the nasally voice responds, their footsteps all over the place.

"Go check it. God, what fucking idiots..." the leader sighs in dismay, the sound of their feet distancing itself from us. 

"It's just groceries," I can hear one of the cronies say, "There's a receipt, it's from today. Just about a half hour ago."

"He was here, alright," says the deep voice. "Don't know how he got all that food though. He's ballsy enough to go into a store with the cops on his tail. Maybe he got arrested. Because he's not here. And you told me he was," all of a sudden, the voice becomes more menacing with every word, causing everyone to go silent. 

"T-this is where I heard he was hiding," the high-pitched voice speaks shakily.

"He's not fucking here," the leader scowls and their footsteps become faint. "To the next place," they order their cronies, and the footsteps diminish. I sigh in solace as soon as they're gone, and Levi turns around to look at me. When I listen closely, I can hear their truck revving away, their tires skidding on the dirt. 

"I didn't like this place anyway," Levi utters, pushing the plank that hid us up and away. He crawls up from the hole and immediately wipes his clothes, dissatisfied that whoever came to visit completely flipped the place upside down.

"Fuck, my eggs," says Levi, trudging over to the lopsided bag of groceries. He opens the carton of eggs and about half of them are cracked, yolk dripping all over the other contents of the plastic bag. He removes the rest of the yolk-covered items and sighs in defeat.

"Alright kid," he says, "Looks like you owe me another one."


	6. Guest

"What?" I ask, my tone unintentionally sharp. "Another what?" I grunt as I climb out of the hole, scraping the dirt off my shoes onto the floor. 

"Another favor," Levi tells me and my mouth widens to retort. 

"I-"

"I just saved your life," Levi interrupts me. "Don't think for a second that if those bastards found you they'd let you go on any accord."

I gulp at the response. I only think about what those guys would look like. Covered in scars, tattoos, weapons hidden all over their bodies, all sorts of gang shit. And I thought Levi was bad. But that doesn't mean I'm his lapdog.

"I need somewhere new to hide," Levi continues. "And you've got a place, right?" 

"Oh hell no," I articulate, waving my hands in disagreement. "For all I know you'd slash my throat in my sleep." 

Levi purses his lips and crosses his arms. "Look at me," he says, "I'm homeless. I live in a shack and have to sleep in a broken church pew. I didn't ask for this shit. 

"I didn't ask for this either! Who were those guys? What the fuck did you do to make them chase after you like that?!" I shout, keeping my stance. "I have a job, I have a family-" I pause for a bit and remember what family I do have left. A half-sister who's already occupied with her own life, a father who's too occupied with his job that he doesn't find the time to interact with his kin in the slightest, and a mother who died in a drunk driving accident which was all my fault. I wonder what I even have to lose at this point. I'm sure hiding a convict under my roof would make my father all the more pissed at me. But I can't find it in myself to care anymore.

Levi stares at me blankly wondering what the hell I just thought of. He raises a brow and anticipates for whatever I was about to say.

"Fuck it," I admit, "If I get brutally murdered, that's on you." 

"Is that a yes, then?" Levi asks.

"I... I don't care."

I cannot seem to stress this enough, but any normal fucking person would immediately call the police if a felon asked them to buy groceries. I don't know what fucking nerve I have in my brain that makes me want to accept Levi into my home, one of the only safe spots in my life I've got right now. Mikasa lives four too many hours away and in a high-rise in the city, and Armin's got his grandparents with him. I just feel like I know Levi personally. He's got this quirk about him, that makes him seem harmless. Well, I guess I have to find out about that last part tonight. 

Levi and I leave the shack with his groceries and make sure to leave the place like how it was before. Levi berates me for not driving all the way here, and I shrug and tell him that I just didn't want to get followed. I guess part of that was true, in a way. 

Levi's cautious the entire time we're walking to my apartment, but there's no one on the streets so far. Sunday's usually a quiet day for the townsfolk. We barely make any conversation the entire time, and any questions I ask him immediately get rejected. God, if it weren't for his demeanour and looks I would've sworn he was a little kid for his stature.

I reluctantly dig around for my keys in my pocket as we make it up the stairs to my suite, the exact place where Levi scared the living shit out of me just yesterday. It's funny how we've ended up here already. As I open the door to reveal my dusty and dark living room, Levi's jaw drops in stupor. 

His eyes widen in surprise and he ruffles his hair. "Holy shit."


	7. Fresh Start

"Do you really live like this?' Levi mutters as I flick on the lights to my apartment, taking off my shoes as I go in.

There's garbage, books, and miscellaneous wrappers cluttered all over the tables and seats, articles of clothing draped over the couch and several bags of garbage piled up in my small kitchen. Not to mention the heap of dishes stacked in the sink and random papers that was once stuck onto the fridge but now on the floor. It's not that bad, right?

"Fucking hell," Levi groans, "You live in a rat's nest." He enters and surprisingly, takes off his boots as well, avoiding all the clutter as he follows me into the kitchen. 

"Fuck you, you lived in a shack!" I spit, but Levi's not bothered one bit. I can see where he's coming from. It's not like you can turn an abandoned building into a luxurious suite. 

"And it was worse last week," I mention, but I guess that's not enough to convince Levi that I'm not always like this. Just during business weeks.

"Who lives like this? Oh god, are you a college student?" Levi queries.

"Hey, I graduated last year." I reply, hanging my keys and coat on a rack. "Just- make yourself at home, or something. You've got an actual fucking roof this time," I say, trying to clear some of the dishes from the sink to make myself look a tad presentable.

"No way in hell am I sleeping in this house until this shit's all cleaned," states Levi. "Where's your mop? There's stains on the fucking floor."

I turn off the sink and face Levi, taking my rubber gloves off. I sigh and look to the floor, trying to avoid eye contact. This guy is really going to fucking clean my house down. 

"I... I don't have a mop," I confess, catching a glimpse of Levi's disgusted expression.

The man turns around in disappointment and swears under his breath, and I can already sense him face-palming. Hey, beggars can't be choosers. 

"I have a vacuum though," I reveal, pointing to a small closet near my bedroom. I try to direct Levi to it, but it already seems like he knows where everything is. The first thing he does once the vacuum's in his grasp is empty my entire closet, and heaps of junk come pouring out. I don't even flinch at the mess. I've totally forgotten about that stuff. There's random board games from a decade ago, polaroids from when I was in college, a jersey from a sports game representing god-knows-which team and some other shit. It's worth throwing away at this point. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Levi plugs in the mini-vacuum into the nearest outlet he sees, and the whir of the machine is a sound I haven't heard in a long, long time. To think that some random fucking dude I met just last week is in my apartment helping me clean all my shit, it's something I've never imagined for once in my life. 

The first thing I do is grab a couple of garbage bags and start filling them with the trinkets of the closet, not even thinking twice when I throw them away. The droning of the vacuum makes it further over to my bedroom, and my heart skips a beat once I realize what's in there. I scramble over to the doorway of my room, almost slipping with my socks on. I nearly forget that there are clumps of tissues just sitting there in my waste bin, probably weeks old by now. 

"God, the least you could do is hide the fact that you whack it every night," Levi tells me over the sound of the vacuum, and I can't help but flush bright red in shame. 

"Hey," I manage to retort, "I live a stressful life, you know?" I mean, I'm not the one being chased by a gang leader but my situation is similar in a way if you squint hard enough.

"Jesus," Levi mutters and continues to clean. 

I'm insane. Absolutely insane. The past couple weeks I've been recovering from a goddamn car accident and now there's a thug cleaning my room. If Mikasa sees us like this, what the hell am I gonna tell her? That I just let this 'Levi' guy in? That he made me get groceries for him or else I'd get my throat slashed? I start folding my clothes and packing them away in my closet to avoid thinking about everything that's been going on and my hands begin to fumble.

Levi peers around the corner with the vacuum handle in his hands, looking at me straight in the eye. My blood freezes, and I don't know what to think. If anything should go wrong, I have my car—I can step on it straight to Mikasa's apartment in the city, or even as a last fucking resort, go to dad's. Levi leaves shortly, and the whir of the vacuum disappears somewhere else. How am I supposed to make this guy leave? It doesn't look like he's gonna accept money, and it's not like I'm gonna ask my dad for more. And if I leave, he might hunt after me for vengeance. 

It looks like he's just going to have to stick around for the time being.


	8. Revelation

It's about four in the afternoon when Levi and I call it quits. I've only been living here for two years and I never would've guessed I've been hiding so much shit in my house. The place isn't even large, considering there's barely a hallway that separates the kitchen and the bathroom. 

Levi and I are both pooped from the cleaning, and I open my fridge and pull out a case of beer. The guy looks at me odd, but I can't fucking care.

"Want one?" I offer, slumping in the living room couch as I rest my feet up on the now shiny coffee table.

"Later," Levi says, "I'm going to use your shower," I nod repeatedly at his words, and gulp hard. Shit, I can't let him get comfortable.

Well, he did clean my bathroom, though.

As Levi leaves quietly I flick on the TV and the news channel is the first to come on. I quickly switch away to a random movie hoping to avoid any reports of gang activity on the TV screen, if there even are any. The movie's some cheesy action flick, with sound effects that are barely timed with the impact and over the top reactions. I keep it on and crack open a beer, and at the same time I can hear the shower turning on in the distance. This would've been the perfect time to call the police. The perp's ass-naked and unarmed. The only problem is I would get asked what he's actually doing ass-naked in my own house. 

I stare mindlessly at the television screen and sip hard at my drink. I feel like calling Armin, but I don't want to get mistaken for calling the cops and having my eyeballs pickled. Instead I just sit in silence, focusing on the trickling of the water hitting the bottom of the bathtub. About fifteen minutes later, the water stops running, and I straighten my posture on the couch. I've just about finished my beer by now, and I place it on the coffee table. 

Still overwhelmed from everything that's been going on yet feeling absolutely nothing at the same time, I drink another can. Maybe if I get drunk I'll be able to really feel something for once. I've been so emotionally numb lately.

The sound of the bathroom door swings open from afar, and I can hear footsteps coming towards the living room. The footsteps quicken, and all I'm thinking of what I'm going to say as my final words.

Please don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me.

"Got any extra towels?"

I whip my head around and—

Holy shit.

This guy's fucking naked.

Well, not completely naked, head to toe. My eyes look down to Levi's wet feet up to his dripping hair. The only thing that's covering him is a small towel, maybe 10 or 12 inches long that's wrapped tightly around his waist, catching the water droplets falling from his black hair.

My eyes trail over to his exposed chest. His abs were extremely defined and he had all sorts of faded scratches and scars, varying in length and depth all over his torso. His pelvic bones are barely covered by the towel, and I can't help but notice the bulge formed underneath it. My mouth gapes open a bit, and that's when I realize I'm staring at this guy's pecs and dick.

"T-towels?" My voice cracks, and my eyes widen. "Sorry," I manage as I clear my throat. "Towels?" I repeat quickly. "Towels. Yes. There's extras in the dresser right beside my bed. Grab as much as you want- just take 'em."

"Okay," Levi replies, and he clutches the cloth envelloping his waist, trudging over to my bedroom.

I try to adjust my position on the couch, and the glimpse of Levi's wet footprint on the light wood laminate catches my eye. God, I just stared at his dick for what seemed like an eternity. The fuck is wrong with me? I pray he didn't notice that.

The image of Levi's exposed body is the only thought in my mind. My face flushes red, and I cover my face with my hand even though no one's watching. I don't know if this weird sensation I'm having is from the alcohol, or maybe it's actually fear. Or even arousal.

Or a combination of all fucking three.

The heat from my face intensifies as I stare at the remains of Levi's drying footprint. I feel like I'm coming to a conclusion to something, but I don't know what. I'm not allowed to trust myself when I'm drunk. Especially not after the accident. But I'm not drunk, I've only had one and a half beers and—shit.

Oh, fuck.

Am I gay?


	9. An Open Book

Me being gay was never a, uh, let's say prominent concept in my life. Guy on guy? Nah. No. Not my cup of tea when I'm going through the categories on a porn site. I've always been into girls. I'm straight, that's all I can say. Seriously, is Levi really the one making me question these sort of things? I'm conflicted whether to tell him to fuck off and out of my home or to fuck me. It's normal to think another guy is attractive, right? It's a human instinct, or reaction, or whatever the scientists call it. I'm sure other guys have looked at other guy's dicks and wondered what would happen if they-oh, no, no no, no, nope. I am not having these thoughts today, not right now while there's a thug in my house with probably multiple felony charges.

I down the whole beer in front of me in one go and wipe my mouth sloppily, panting as I catch my breath. The steam and heat from the bathroom spreads to the living room, and I can smell the faint scent of the conditioner I use coming from the room. He definitely used it. I picture him lathering the conditioner in his hair, tilting his head back and letting the volley of water hit his back and stream down his calves and legs.

God damn, I am really imagining what a grown ass man is doing in the shower. I'm experiencing a whole new level of sick and perverted here.

It's not long before Levi comes out in a grey tank top and his regular pants, a towel slung over his shoulder. I can't help but stare at him when he comes over to me.

"It's not even the evening and you're already drinking. I thought I had it bad. Can't imagine what you must be going through to be doing that," Levi jokes, and he sits himself down on the other end of the couch. "Mind if I join you?" He asks.

I pull out a can from the case and hand one to him, my head sinking back into the cushions of the seat.

"What's going to happen now?" I cut straight to the chase.

"What did you think was going to happen?" Levi replies, ruffling his wet hair with his towel, "I'll sleep on the couch tonight."

"Oh," the corners of my mouth curve into an almost dissatisfied smile and my head drops to my shoulders. This guy is really insisting on staying here, and it's pointless for me to keep trying to reject that fact. Might as well get to know my new roommate.

"You got any family?" I try to start, but Levi doesn't bother looking at me.

"This your idea of small talk?" he shoots back.

"Jeez, I'm just trying to be polite," I mutter, "and you're not exactly an open book, y'know."

"I saw a picture of a girl on a shelf over there-" Levi suavely manages to avoid the question, thinking I'm dumb enough not to notice the fact. "Black hair, dark eyes, she your girlfriend?" I almost sputter out my drink when I hear the words.

"Oh, fuck, no!" I enunciate, and I can't help but laugh at the remark. "Fucking Christ, man, that's my sister! Well, half-sister," I clarify.

"Huh," Levi takes a sip of his beer and I can see him pitifully attempt to relax in the cushions of the couch, but it just looks downright awkward. I can't tell if he's shaken up by the whole experience or if he's got a stick in his ass. Wouldn't surprise me if it was one of the two.

"She live out in the country like you?" Levi asks, and I manage to make eye contact with him. His eyes are a striking silver, piercing and bold. I'm almost intimidated.

"Nah, no, Mikasa, my sister, she lives in the big city just up north. Y'know, the first thing she did when she graduated high school was move out of town. She must really hate it here."

"I think she might have just hated you," Levi quips. I'll add 'insulting' as a bullet on my list of reasons to kick him out when I have the gall.

"I never pegged you as the talkative type," I remark, "I always thought you'd be the silent and deadly type of thug, the one to kill me in my sleep or something.." I mutter away.

"You think this is talkative?" Levi raises a thin eyebrow. "Do you talk to anyone?"

"I have friends!" I retort, and I can feel a faint heat from my ears.

"That's a bold statement," Levi says, "is the liquid courage getting to you already? It's barely 4:30."

"Fuck you," I say in an almost familiar tone, like we've been friends for years.

"In regards to your other statement and just to be clear, no, I am not going to kill you in your sleep, kid. I don't have any weapons on me except for the knife I have in my jacket." Levi motions his head over to the black and tattered jacket draped over the kitchen chair, which could probably be hiding more than just a fucking knife.

"Plus, I think you'd put up a fight. A scrappy one, too. You're pretty loud, kid. The neighbours might get scared," he teases, and I'm not having it.

"Oh ha ha," I say with disgust, "funny how you're more worried about the neighbours than the man who's giving you a shelter."

"A shelter?" Levi's eyes widen. "That's fancy. And last time I checked, it was a kid who doesn't know how to clean up his 'shelter'."

I don't bother replying at Levi's weak-ass insult. I just feel like getting drunk and sleeping early so the day can end earlier. I stare daggers at Levi almost jokingly, and the only thing he does is barely look up as a response, the beads of water from his hair glistening in the afternoon sunset. Guess that makes progress to our friendship.


	10. 1984

I guess it's safe to say that about a week or two has passed ever since I begrudgingly let Levi into my home. 

It wasn't long before we set up some ground rules so we could attempt to live peacefully with each other.

The rules are plastered not so discreetly on some flimsy dollar-store paper on the fridge, which Levi insisted he put it there considering it was a place I checked every hour. I gotta admit, he has made the note pretty hard to ignore, especially with the bold red arrows pointing to the words 'THE RULES' written in red permanent marker. 

Rule #1: 

'CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF'

For some reason, not even "hey, don't let anyone know that I, Levi, live here or else I'll get arrested" is the first rule on that goddamned piece of paper. The rule is telling me to clean up after myself, like I'm some sort of mutt that loves to spray his piss all over the carpet and watch it sink into the fibres. I know how to clean up after myself. Levi just happened to walk in at the wrong time.

Rule #2:

'NO VISITORS ALLOWED'

Embarrassingly enough, I never had too many visitors in the first place, with the exception of Armin stopping by for a quick minute to grab some papers and Mikasa checking in and playing landlord to do some home inspection every other month or so. It'll be about 4 weeks until her next checkup, and I'm sure she'll be skeptical to see that the apartment is immaculately clean for the first time in never. I personally think that this is the one rule that makes sense to me. Any sensible person seeing Levi in this complex would automatically A) run for their lives or B) call the fucking cops.

And last, but not least, Rule #3:

'NO DRINKING BEFORE EVENING'

I guess to Levi, seeing me drunk only twice during the past two weeks was already enough to him. Has he ever considered the thought that it might be him driving me to drink during noon? Especially when I come home from after work? I feel like a goddamn double agent, going to the station and typing out reports of gang members in the town and coming home from work only to see a gang member using a scouring pad to scrub down my kitchen sink. 

Some quirks about Levi so far: he refuses to go outside without being dressed down in a baseball cap and sunglasses, like that's going to help. This town's got less than two thousand folks, and just about everyone knows everyone. They're definitely going to notice some short, bitter man trudging around dressed like he's hiding from the paparazzi. 

Like I suspected, he is also a huge fan of tea. Tea in the early mornings, and tea during the evening. Looks like this guy has got some trouble shitting or something. The sound of the kettle screeching as it boils water wakes me up earlier than my own alarm clock does. It's been like this for the past two weeks. 

I go to work like usual in the mornings, and now Levi gets to experience the joy of reminding me not to forget my keys and my lunch every day. Almost like a housewife. How corny. I have yet to figure out what he does while I'm gone. He's almost like a cat. When you want to know where he is, he's always fucked off somewhere your mind will never know and when you especially don't want him around, he loves to stay put. So far, our relationship is weird. We exchange some 'hello's and 'goodbye's throughout the day, some 'morning's and 'night's, but nothing more than that other than the daily reminders not to forget my keys and 'THE RULES'. I think the first day or two when I met him was the most conversation we've had at all.

Today marks the second Saturday I've had with him, and I'm getting a little sick of spending the rest of my evenings watching TV, which is ironic to say, since I've been doing that ever since Levi's been here, but now that I have company, I'd like to at least enjoy my time with them. This time, I'm really going to try and talk to Levi. Whenever I'm home, he usually occupies the dining table reading one of the very few books that I own, or whenever he's desperate, my old textbooks from school. It makes him seem harmless, and almost makes me forget that he's probably killed a man or two. 

It's about 6 in the evening and it's hardly dark outside. As usual, Levi's sitting at the dining table reading a paperback with the sun illuminating his figure. 

"So," I say, "what're you reading?"

Levi barely looks up at me in turn, but I'm hoping for an answer. He notices and lets out a sigh of annoyance, his eyebrows furrowing.

"1984," he says, resuming his concentration on the thin pages of the book.

"Okay," I note, pulling up a chair beside him, "er, what's it about?"

"You don't know about 1984? With Big Brother and the brainwashing?"

"No."

"Isn't this your book?" Levi points out and flips to to the back of the cover, which I notice has 'for Eren' written on it in a nice handwriting.

"Oh man, I think I got that in high school as a gift or something. I-I don't read much," I admit.

"Sheesh, I can tell," Levi groans.

"I never pegged you to be a bookworm, y'know," I say. "'cause of all the gang shit, and the scars..." I trail off.

Levi closes the book and sets it on the table, crossing his legs. "I get it. Do you need something or what?"

"Huh? No."

"Well, you usually don't talk to me unless you need something."

"Man, am I really like that?" I chuckle, but Levi's facial expression remains unmoved. "I just wanted to talk to you." 

"Finally got sick of TV?" Levi jokes, and I grin helplessly.

"Guess so." 

"Why don't you find yourself a girlfriend or something instead of bothering me?" he asks, crossing his arms.

"I don't have a girlfriend," I say, and I notice Levi's eyebrows raise a bit. "Do you?" 

"I don't have time for that shit," he replies.

"Well you have time now," I joke, while Levi is not amused. "There are a lot of lovely ladies around here, single, your age, don't watch the news often, right in your pool. Who knows how long you're gonna be here, right? Might as well settle down while you got the chance." 

"I don't know how long this chance is going to last. Do I have to remind you that I am on the run? That the police is looking for me? Stop fucking around," Levi snaps, and his tone is hostile. I probably upset him. 

"Listen, why don't you have some tea and maybe you'll calm down," I try to reassure him, but it doesn't help. 

"Fucking hell," he hisses, rising from his chair. He grabs his baseball cap and shades and heads outside, escaping from the situation. I must've pissed him off big time. 

I slump onto the couch in defeat, but then peer out the window behind me. Levi's smoking a cigarette, slouching over the balcony of the complex. I can't help but smile stupidly. I finally got to talk with him this week.


	11. Pop

Sunday.

I rarely talk with anyone on Sunday, which is why a particular phone call from Mikasa surprised me. Annoyingly, she phones early in the morning while I'm still in bed and aching for just another hour of sleep.

"Hello?" I groan as I pick up the call.

"Eren?" she says.

"Yep."

"I'm in town right now, I'll be over at your place in an ten minutes or so, okay?"

Shit, shit, shit.

"What?" I jolt upwards, my body feeling fully awake, "w-what, why?"

"I'll explain later, I'm driving," she responds, and quickly hangs up.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I practically fling myself out of bed and rip open the curtains and I'm instantly blinded by the sunlight to the point where I almost fall back into my bed again. My neck is throbbing and my retinas are burning but I manage to scramble out my bedroom doorway and into the kitchen, Levi immediately being alerted of my presence. He gets up from his chair just a bit, his expression worrying.

"Mikasa," I gasp, "she's coming—she's coming to the apartment in ten, no, five minutes, and shit- I-I, no- what the fuck are we gonna do?"

"Calm down," Levi breathes, which is ironic, considering those are the exact words that pissed him off yesterday evening to the point where he had to take a smoke.

"Fuck no!" I retort, and my legs become restless, and I realize I'm walking all over the apartment, as if I'm trying to run away. "She is coming, right now, and what the fuck are we supposed to do? She's gonna kill me! No, you're gonna kill me!" I panic.

"Jesus!" Levi barks, "I'm not gonna fucking kill you! I can't go anywhere!" he immediately becomes just as panicked as I am.

"Well what the fuck am I gonna tell her? What if she already knows who you are? I saw you on the news, Levi! She probably saw you on the news, too!" I yell.

"I saw the report too, smartass! I'm covered in cuts and bruises! That's just about the only photo they have of me! I'm unrecognizable!" he yells back.

"You don't fucking know that!"

"Do you think I'm uncultured or what?" Levi snarls, "The police sure as hell know who I am, all the folks in this bumfuck town don't!"

"Why- why didn't you fucking tell me that?!" I stress, my heart beating out of my chest. I can barely feel my legs now. "Why do you wear the sunglasses then? What the fuck?!"

"I-" Levi almost shouts, but then immediately retreats. "I can't tell you that," he breathes sharply.

My eyes go wide. I'm almost ballistic. "What?" I rant, "Wha- I'm sure there's an explanation for why you have to disguise yourself every time you go out, especially if no one here knows who you fucking are!"

"I said, I can't fucking tell you!"

"Yes you can, asshole! No more secrets!"

Levi and I are both huffing and puffing from our argument. We give ourselves a few seconds to calm down, and Levi opens his mouth to give me an answer.

"I," Levi begins, then his eyes drop to the floor. "I don't want to burn," he practically mumbles.

Before I realize it, I can feel my left arm lunging at Levi's face, but it's quickly deflected with a hard blow and twisted backwards as I yelp in pain. Levi's fist comes swinging towards my face and I'm met with the heavy hit of his knuckles, hearing a vivid pop coming from my bones before I stagger backwards.

I could feel the room spinning around me before the pain kicked in. My face, no, my nose was burning with pain and was numb to the touch. I looked at my fingers.

Blood.

"You broke my fucking nose!" I screech, quickly tilting my head upwards and cupping the blood gushing from my nose with my hand. I try to feel the bridge of my nose with my other two bloody fingers, and I can feel that it's bent out of shape. Motherfucker.

"You were gonna punch me!" Levi tries to justify himself, scrambling to the kitchen to get me some paper towels.

Levi hands me a wad of paper towels and they quickly become doused with blood. The sting of pain causes my eyes to water. Once again, I'm feeling everything yet nothing at all.

"Oh, shit, I think I'm gonna cry," I croak, gently smearing the paper towels underneath my nostrils.

"Not now, you little bitch," Levi hisses, his hands approaching my face.

"Get the fuck away from me!" I struggle to get away from him, but I trip backwards onto the couch and a stream of blood pours out of my nose.

"I'm gonna fix your fucking nose," Levi whispers, almost demonically, and for a second, I see my life flash before my eyes.

Levi grips my nose and I scream in agony, and he pops the cartilage back in place- or at least I hope it's back in place. Tears runnel down my cheeks and I groan, my entire face beginning to throb.

"You son of a bitch," I barely manage, and I hear three raps on the door.

I see the color drain from Levi's face. 

"Eren?" says a muffled voice through the door. It's Mikasa. "I heard screaming. Are you okay?"

"Yes!" I rasp as loud as I can, trying to lift myself from the couch. Levi gets off of me and sits down, facepalming as he does so. "Just a second!" I attempt to sound fine like I'm not a human gusher right now. 

I struggle as I make it to the door and accidentally get some blood on the doorknob. As I unlock the door, Mikasa comes barging in, her face in a state of shock.

"Eren! You're bleeding!" she gasps, immediately rolling up her sleeves, "Your nose!" Mikasa's eyes wander around the living room frenzily and the glint of her eye tells me she's noticed Levi.

"Who's this?" she asks, her voice suddenly stern and her face deadpan, as if nothing had happened to me at all. 

"Hi," Levi says, covering his bruised knuckles. 

"Sir, who are you?" Mikasa interrogates.

Levi lets out a deep exhale, and for the first time, I see him sink back into the couch.

"I'm the boyfriend."


	12. Loose Ends

What. The. Fuck.

Apparently, the words don't seem to phase Mikasa one bit.

"Did you hit him?" she asks threateningly.

"Ha, well, he attacked me first," says Levi, the fucker pinning the blame on me. He started the whole shitshow with the sunglasses. "He always bleeds so easily, doesn't he?" Levi replies suavely, getting off the couch and dusting his pants.

"He does..." Mikasa utters, then rushes to the kitchen to get me some tissues. I can imagine her thinking how clean the kitchen is, like she's never seen it like this before.

Mikasa clears her throat and lowers her guard from Levi a bit. "Your name...?" she questions.

"Farlan," says Levi, extending his hand, "Farlan Church."

This sneaky ass motherfucker is using a fake name. I'm compelled to say his real name out loud. Levi! It's Levi, from the Ackerman Gang! He's keeping me hostage in my own fucking house!

"Um," Mikasa murmurs, "how long have you two been together?"

Levi sighs, walks up to me and reaches to place a hand on my shoulder. At the corner of my eye, I can see it's the same hand that literally knocked my bones out of place.

"Can't say that it's been about..uh, five, no, six months so far? Even so, things have been pretty rough lately," Levi lies, almost masterfully. "I've never met your sister, Eren. It's Mikasa, right?"

Mikasa nods and I see Levi smile for the first time and it's practically miraculous— he almost looks friendly. I also realize that Levi has used my actual name for the first time in a long while. It feels validating, and also distracting, because my nose still burns like hell. 

I get some more paper towels from Mikasa and eventually the river coming from my nostrils comes to a stop. Sooner or later, my sister and I are sitting at the dining table, a heavy cloud mixed with tension, suspicion and paranoia filling the room.

"Tea?" Levi asks the both of us with cups in his hands.

"Please," Mikasa responds. In the meanwhile, she pulls a thin folder out of her purse and slides it towards me almost dramatically.

"Eren," she begins, "There are two inheritance certificates in this envelope. One them is mine, which has already been signed by myself, and the other is yours, which I'm hoping we can complete today so I can get them forwarded to a lawyer."

"Inheritance papers?" I chide, the mood already souring. "It hasn't even been two months since Mom died, let alone three weeks since the fucking funeral, and you come to me early in the morning to talk about money?" I snap, and I suddenly feel the weight of Levi's hand on my shoulder.

"Eren," he mutters, and I whip his hand off of me.

"Don't," I growl, my eyes focused on Mikasa.

"It's not just about money," she scolds, "It's about distributing the estate to her kin," she corrects me.

"Which is the same fucking thing! What about dad? What's he getting? He didn't even come to his wife's funeral cause he's 'busy with work overseas!'" I begin to shout and Levi leaves the room, with a pathetic act of being disappointed that anyone can see through.

"He's not returning my calls," says Mikasa, "or my emails, faxes, whatever you can think of, Eren." 

"He hasn't done anything to deserve a single cent so far. He missed her birthday, missed her funeral, and probably doesn't even know that she's dead!" I tell her.

Mikasa sighs and I can tell that she's just as agitated as I am. "I'm just going to leave the envelope here—"

"—I don't want that fucking thing," I say.

"Make sure you sign it," Mikasa commands, "if not today, at least do it sometime this month. I'll be back here by then."

"So you just came here to talk money?" I ask, angry and confused.

"I came here to check up on you too," she retorts.

"And what a great job you're doing. You're just pissing me off."

Mikasa leaves my apartment with a pained expression on her face. Levi comes out of wherever he was hiding and shows her the door, and they both exchange awkward goodbyes. I see her get into her car and drive off into the street, still sour about everything that's just happened.

"Fuck," I groan, "fuck everything," I slump to the kitchen and pull a whole case of beer out of the fridge, looking Levi in the eyes. His expression's a mixture of understanding, contempt and disappointment.

"And fuck your rules, too, asshole. I need a drink," I slur, chucking the envelope Mikasa left out of my sight. In the corner of my eye, I see Levi gently pick it up and place it back on the table as I catapult myself onto the couch, switching on the television.

Levi crosses his arms and stands in the center of the kitchen doorway. At first, his face is tense, but I see him ease up a little as he walks towards me.

"I," he begins, "I didn't know that you went through all that."

"The more you know," I say, gulping the beer as fast as I can, the cold and bitter taste burning my tongue and throat.

"I owe you an apology," Levi says, and his tone is soft.

"Oh, fuck your apologies! If you're really sorry, you'll just leave me alone! Or even better, get out of my goddamn house!" I shout.

He doesn't say anything, and just looks solemnly at the ground. His black hair covers his eyes, but I'm not worried whether his expression is one of sadness or rage. He's already broken my nose. Anything else would just be icing on the cake. Just thinking of the fact that he hit me riles me up again.

"And Farlan Church?" I spit, "You think my sister's an idiot? I fucking hope she's called the cops already. Who does that name belong to? One of your gang junkies?"

Still, no response.

"You decide to keep quiet now? When you were all happy-go-lucky in front of my sister it didn't seem to be a problem for you!" I snarl, "You know what? I am sick and tired of the secrets. You already know everything about me. You dug through my closet. Saw my graduation photos. My family photos. Probably the photos of the day I was born. You know what happened to me not even a month ago, and yet, I know nothing about you. All I know about you is that you're a brute, a germaphobe maniac, and hiding from the fucking police! So if you want me to stop perceiving you as a monster, show to me that you've got at least a little bit of humanity in there!" I breathe in shallow pants as I finish my rant, and Levi comes slowly to sit down beside me on the couch. He's not even bothered from my demeaning speech about him. Instead he just looks at me, in the eyes, like I'm an actual person and exhales deeply.

"Usually if I had to tell anyone anything about myself, it meant that they were going to die," says Levi out of the silence. I gulp at the remark. I guess I'm still kind of terrified.

"But given what happened today, you look like you know how to keep a secret," he smirks.

"Look," Levi whispers then pauses to grab a can of beer, "I've had my fair share of loss in my life. But I don't let that stop me. It's always shitty to hear these words, I know. Everything fucking sucks now but it will always get better. Always." Levi gives me a bold pat on the back, and the warmth of his hand is comforting. That was the hand that broke my nose, though. 

"Got it?" he says, and I nod. "It's not an instant thing either, kid," he adds, "Scars—no, healing, takes time."

"So I still get to stay alive after all that?" I manage dryly. 

"Nope," says Levi, "Time's up," he forms a knife with his fingers and runs it swiftly over my neck, the corners of his lips forming into a smile. I groan in discomfort.

"Seriously?" I gripe, pushing his hand away from me in disgust.

Levi grins, and very subtly, I can see a single layer of the wall of defense he's got pent-up disappear.


	13. Cards on Deck

Just because my last fight with Levi dissipated on a bittersweet note doesn't mean that I forgive him for almost shattering every single bone in my nose. I may have ran a quick trip to the local walk-in clinic immediately after our quarrel to make sure that my nose was still intact because of his rash actions. I don't even know why I still let him sleep in my house. The doctor was a godsend and only gave me some special painkillers and a pack of antiseptic wipes to use for the next couple of days. He inspected my nose and said it was fine and in place, which brings my attention to Levi. Looks like the guy really knew what he was doing. Although he still hasn't revealed anything to me about his background. What a crock of shit.

Errand boy, to roommate, to now presumed lover? I don't know where shit ends and begins with this guy. I can't even bring up the fact that he told Mikasa, my fucking sister, that we were in a romantic relationship, or else the dude'll mangle my spirit nose for all I know. The gall. Am I supposed to give him a wet kiss on the cheek every time she sees us together? Now I'm considering it would've been a superb idea if Levi just slashed my throat the instant he saw me on that sidewalk.

Trying to uphold Levi and I's fake potential relationship is just another concern of mine among many. One that has been bouncing around my head the past two days is the fact that it's the 21st of the month, and I still haven't received that little blip on my phone indicating that I've gotten a $2000 direct deposit in my bank account. A possibility that's an on and off thought is that my father, the sole provider of my rent and education is fucking dead. Kaput. Kicked the bucket, somersaulted off Rainbow Bridge, sucking god's heavenly teat and providing a nutritious all-you-can-eat buffet for worms. About a month ago, I'd never associate my father with those euphemisms. Oh, how things can change once you've got someone who's probably bludgeoned over ten people with a fucking bible just sitting on your couch and enjoying free rent, all while reading a young adult fantasy novel.

To push my concerns even further, I send Mikasa a text addressing my issues. First topics she brings up: 1), did I sign the inheritance papers? 2), is Levi still with me? Often times I feel that texts can't fully express what you really feel. So obviously I ring Mikasa up. She picks up instantly, as per usual.

I hear the click of the phone, "Hey, how are yo--"

"--Did you sign the papers?" she interrupts.

"Can we even have a normal conversation just once?" I complain, walking to the kitchen and checking the fridge, magically expecting for something new to be in there.

"Eren, listen to me-" she cuts me off, then sighs. "I'm sorry," she says, "Are you doing alright?"

"Well I was doing just fine until you had to remind me of that one thing," I grumble.

"Have you gotten any calls from Dad? Anything?" Mikasa flip-flops back to her primary concerns. 

"What do you think? No. I didn't even get my deposit."

"This has never happened before."

"Yeah, no kidding," I scoff, scratching my chin. I peer out the doorway of the kitchen and Levi shoots me a quick glance from his book. "I don't even know where he is, dude. Didn't he say he was in Sina for work? How can he still be held up like that?"

"It's supposed to be confidential government business," Mikasa explains, "But... Why wouldn't they let him know...?"

A heavy silence is shared between my sister and I. She barely makes a sound on her end, and all I can do is stare at Levi solemnly, who's staring at me back expressing some concern.

"I'm going to drive up to Sina to see him. I need to see him," she says, determined.

"You have to work, Mikasa!" I object. "You can't afford to just up and leave. No, listen- I'll go. You stay there."

"-Eren,"

"-I'm going. Shadis will barely notice I'm gone. Besides, Armin's already working for two people anyway."

"No."

"Yes!" I shout, "End of story. I'll tell you all about it when I come back."

"Eren, Sina is eleven hours away," Mikasa protests, but I insist anyway.

"It doesn't matter. Besides, Levi's coming with me," I say, and Levi springs into action, practically leaping from the couch. "We'll take turns driving, or something."

"Oh, hell no!" he mouths, chucking his book behind him.

"Are you sure?" asks Mikasa.

"Yeah- yes, I'll be fine. I'll call you when I get there, when I see him, what he's up to, whatever you want to know-okay? Besides, I need to get out of this place anyway."

Mikasa and I speed through her worry-wart interrogation process and I assure her it'll be alright. When I hang up, Levi snatches my phone out of my hand.

"Are you fucking insane?" he scolds, and it's almost like I can see a headache physically manifest itself on his forehead.

"Oh, what? What did you expect to do all weekend? Just sit here by yourself and read your fucking books?" I retort, seizing my phone back from Levi.

"That's exactly what I wanted to do, shit-for-brains!"

"At least help me beat up my no-good father when I see him!"

"Don't get me involved in your dumb family shit!

"Look," I assert, pulling up my phone up to its keypad. "You see this shit? This is the police on speed dial. Go with me, and I won't call the cops on your sorry ass. Stay here and I'll tattle on you not even fifteen minutes on the road."

Levi scoffs. "Are you seriously pulling that ultimatum shit on me?"

"I know the law, bitch!"

"You're too pussy to even mention my name. I know what kind of kid you are," Levi taunts, crossing his arms, "You're a coward."

Instinctively, I press the emergency-call number hard on my phone and the dial tone echoes throughout my apartment. Levi's eyes widen and so do mine, and we hear the click of the phone being picked up.

"Shiganshina Police Department operator here. What's your emergency?"

There is silence.

Then chaos.

"Fucking help me!" I shriek, lifting the phone up high so Levi can't reach. Levi pounces towards me and smacks me in the face, sending the both of us backwards onto the wooden floor with a booming thud. The phone falls to the ground and into the living room and Levi and I both scramble towards it, flailing our arms and legs and battering each other repeatedly.

Levi wraps his arms around my waist and holds me down, grunting. "I'm gonna kill you, you little shit!"

"Sir? Sir, please calm down," says the dispatcher, "What is the address or location of your emergency?"

"Fuck you!" Levi yells, "Fuck cops!" he screams right into the speakers of the phone, elbowing me right in the nose. I bellow in pain, attempting to tug the phone out of Levi's grip.

"Levi Ackerman! Shiganshina Avenue, Rose district, Southsi-" I recite as fast as I can, barely articulating my words before Levi seizes my wrist and smashes my phone onto the wall not once, but three times, reducing it to dozens of pieces no bigger than my thumb.

We both roll over on our backs in the middle of the floor, exhausted, reaching for each other so one of us can get the last hit. Levi barely grazes me on the cheek, panting as he does so.

"Fuck," he groans.

"You're coming with me to Sina."

Levi slicks his hair back with the palm of his hands. He turns his head towards me, defeated.

"I guess I am."


	14. Venture

As we see the blur of a sign 'Now Leaving Shiganshina' zoom past us on the highway, I'm still trying to comprehend what the fuck I just did.

Levi's still griping about how much of an idiot I am. He's right, but I refuse to admit it.

"I came to Shiganshina to get away from Sina, you know," Levi mutters, securing his sunglasses and baseball cap.

"You better tell me what the fuck's going on with you and Sina," I demand.

"Since you know the law so much, you should at least know that the gangs there are having a fallout." Levi explains.

"Wait," I say, "Is that why those- those guys were after you? In the shed? What, they wanna kill you or something?"

"They'd rather slice off my balls and let me bleed out slowly than have a quick and easy death. Gratuitous, don't you think?"

"Holy shit."

"Who knows," Levi utters, rolling down his window. "Maybe there'll be some allies left in Stohess after spring cleaning."

"Spring cleaning?" I ask, peering at Levi through the corner of my eye.

"Focus on the road," he fusses, pointing at the highway with his finger.

"No, no! Tell me! Tell me exactly what the fuck is going on. Who was that guy in the shed? You know, the Nanny McPhee-wannabe guy?"

"Kenny Ackerman. I doubt we'll be seeing him in Sina anyway. He's probably in Trost recruiting junkies to sell his Titan-shit, or whatever that poison's called."

"What?" I'm trying to add two and two together. This Kenny Ackerman, he's got the same last name as Levi. I'll be damned if those two are related. Levi even said he didn't want to get involved in family matters. That bastard.

"Fallout." Levi says condescendingly. "You know what that means? I was part of his gang. I ran away. Started my own thing. Became his competitor on the streets. I'm a 'traitor'. The consequences? You don't want to know."

"Shit, you guys are like the mob or something?"

"You are such a fucking cop," Levi leers, "you can't do shit and you ask too many damn questions."

I let out a sarcastic laugh and continue on the highway, just until the sun begins to set.

A couple hours in and we reach the outskirts of the Trost district. There's barely a town, and barely a pit-stop at the border. The entire rural population's born and raised in Trost- everyone's either a farmer or trying to become one. I couldn't stand being in that type of situation—stuck in the same place forever 'cause there's nowhere else to go. Sounds miserable.

Just before the sky darkens completely, we find a poorly lit inn and gas station in our path. Levi suggests that we stop there the night and drive to Sina first thing in the morning. He even proposes to drive. I agree and I take my night-bag and we head inside, only to be greeted by a freckled woman with broad shoulders.

"Welcome to Langnar's Inn," says the woman, scurrying behind the front desk, "I'm Langnar, as you can see. You boys sure came at the right time. We're just about fully booked tonight." Her accent is southern, and almost a drawl.

"What rooms are left?" I ask, rummaging for my wallet. There was no fucking way in hell I was going to share a bed with Levi. It was bad enough having him sleep under the same roof as me, but to be not even a foot away from him—unconscious— is just another act of god pissing on my leg.

"Well, we got our honeymoon suite open, and that's just about it. We had a single's room open just an hour ago, twin bed and all, but one of our cleaners had a little accident. Now the whole damn room smells like chlorine," the woman chuckles.

"That wouldn't be so bad," Levi mutters under his breath, only to get an irked look from Langnar. 

"I'm not sleeping in the car," I fuss to Levi, who also has the same idea.

"Well, fuck if I am. I'd like to sleep on something other than a couch for once. Remember when I lived in a shed?" Levi scowls.

"Something the matter, boys?" Langnar looks puzzled. "What, you spoiled kids never shared a bed before?"

I look at Levi and do a double-take, and he gives me a weary look.

"What are your rates?" I sigh.

-

Levi's the one to open the door to our room. It's just about the size of my living room and kitchen combined. Just replace all the furniture with a giant king-sized bed and a truckload of pink scented candles. There's a glass sliding door on the far end of the room, leading to a mini balcony with a view that's not worth anyone's time. Despite all the candles, the room smells strongly of cigarettes. God, I wish I had a blacklight. 

Still, I slump onto the bed, taking off my jacket. "To think a place like this," I begin, "on the outskirts of bumfuck Trost-"

"-Don't even start," Levi grumbles. "I need to take a shower. You," he points to me, "you sign those goddamned papers or whatever the fuck your sister was talking about." 

"Thought you said family business wasn't your problem," I reply, but Levi's already closed the door to the bathroom. The last thing, the absolute last fucking thing I would ever need is for him to come out of the shower half naked like last time. I oughta light the whole place on fire if so.

Hesitantly, I do what Levi asks. I take the folder Mikasa gave me from my bag and set it on the nightstand, searching for a pen in one of the drawers. Again, I really thought I would be doing something like this by myself. Not with a convict that's ass-naked and barely separated by a wall from me. 

As I flip through the contents of the papers, I think about Levi's circumstances. If he really didn't want to go to Sina, he would've killed me already. Something tells me that he's coming back for a vengeance of some sort... Spring cleaning? Sounds like something you'd hear in a movie. Gives me the chills just thinking about how that sort of thing would happen in Levi's everyday life.

I hear the faint rumbling of water hitting the bathtub surface and I shudder. What the fuck was going on in my head that time? As much as I'm scared of Levi, I'm strangely drawn to him... The way he keeps himself proper, the way he's surly, yet he's gentle, with the way he's interested in his books and drinks his tea- the dichotomy is strange. Somehow, it feels like he's everything that I'm not- everything that I want to be, and it's unfathomable seeing what you want right in front of you...

I can feel a familiar heat lingering on my face and down to my neck, and it's becoming hard to deny this—this strange attraction. He's not good for me and I know that, but I can't stay away from him, no matter how insane, how ridiculously ironic the circumstances are, and after all that happened. I'm barely focusing on the papers right now, re-reading the same two sentences over and over again. It's fucking absurd how the one thing that's distracting me is the man who broke my goddamn nose, as well as smash my phone into pieces the following week.

Flustered, I undress myself and settle into the bed, wearing my t-shirt and boxers. I reach towards the nightstand and flip to the very last page of the inheritance packet, quickly and sloppily signing my name on the line beside Mikasa's. I should've gotten that over with some days before. Now I can stop being nagged about it. 

I turn over to my side and bury my head in my pillow, a poor attempt to get some rest in a foreign bed. I try shutting my eyes, counting to one-hundred, fantasizing if I won the lottery, but none of the tricks help. All I can do is leave my eyes open and stare into the dark void of the sliding doors, tired yet restless. Agonizingly, time passes, and the water in the bathroom stops running. Just my luck.

I replace the silence filling the bedroom with the thought of Levi drying himself off, collecting the droplets of water sitting on his figure with his towel, feeling refreshed and relaxed. Suddenly, the door clicks open, and Levi in real-time shuts the bathroom lights off. I flip over and sit up hurriedly, embarrassingly excitedly to see him.

He's got his old pants he was wearing before as well as his grey undershirt with his towel slung around his neck. As he comes out of the doorway, he turns his head towards me, black hair wet, and slicked back. 

"Were you planning on going to bed without brushing your teeth?" he says, ruffling his hair with his towel. 

"What?" I breathe, distracted by his figure.

"That's gross," he says, taking his packet of cigarettes out of his pant pocket. 

"You're gross," I retort, "Look at you, you're smoking." 

Levi scoffs and places the cigar in his mouth with his fingers. We both look at each other blankly. "Want one?" he offers.

"Ah, fuck it."

I lift the bed sheets off of myself and sigh, exposing my naked legs. I forgot I was wearing boxers underneath. Levi looks at me unimpressed and heads out the sliding doors, the glow of the lighter reflecting itself on the glass panes.

I step onto the cold stone tiles of the porch, slumping over the rail. As I look forward and above, there's barely a view. No stars in the sky, no trees, mountains, just darkness. There's a slight breeze that runs through my thin clothes, reminding me of the Shiganshina summers. 

Levi gestures his packet of smokes towards me, and I hesitantly take one, lighting mine against his. 

"When's the last time you've smoked?" Levi asks, his voice low.

"Never," I respond, placing the stick to my mouth. It smells and tastes awful. I inhale just the slightest, and the foggy, dirty air enters my throat and I'm met with a coughing fit. 

"Shit," Levi remarks, patting me on the back repeatedly. "It'll get better," 

"How ironic," I barely croak between coughs, waving the fumes away from my face. My eyes begin to water, and I veer my torso over the railing of the balcony, my chest heaving.

"Get this thing away from me," I hack, handing the cigar back to Levi. He chuckles ever so slightly, putting it out on the metal rail. "I'm never doing this shit again," I say as I clear my throat. 

"The first good decision I've ever seen you make," Levi jokes, and I can see the glint of his smiling eyes amidst the darkness. I see him drag his cigarette away from his lips, gently blowing the smoke away from me. He clears his throat lightly, and we're both met with silence.

I take a few shallow breaths, avoiding the smoke and turn facing Levi. "'You hate me or something, Levi?" I ask.

"What the hell?" Levi blurts, "Would I offer you a fucking cigarette if I hated you? Jesus, kid." 

"We fight," I begin, "Or at least, argue, a lot. You broke my nose, dude. And yet," I falter, "We're still together. You convinced my sister we were dating. I mean, what the fuck's up with that?" 

Levi takes another drag of his smoke and looks down at his feet. "I might pity you," he notes, "Because you've taken someone like me in." He pauses and brings his cigarette back to his mouth before he continues, sighing. "That doesn't mean I don't respect you, though."

I look at him solemnly, processing in my head what he's just said. 

"You've made me come to a point where I care about you just as much as I care for myself," he continues. "It's strange. I'm not used to it."

"Huh," I gape blankly. 

After a few moments of reflection, Levi puts out his cigarette and looks at me with sincerity. He gives me an acknowledging look, and heads back towards the suite.

"I'm gonna go brush my teeth," he murmurs, opening the glass doors.

"Okay."

"And," he says, "Sorry about your nose." 

He gives me one last look before walking back into the bedroom, leaving me alone by the balcony.


End file.
